The worst thing is not being wrong, but being sure one is not wrong.” – Paul Tournier

When Jesus asked Peter “. . . who do you say that I am?”, Peter answered correctly. A short time later he made a big mistake in telling Jesus he should not be talking about crucifixion and dying. Jesus gave a strong reprimand saying, “. . . you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter was thinking from a human perspective, and this encounter becomes a caution to us that, when we are setting our mind on earthly things, as Peter was, we get the answers to life’s most important questions wrong.

Paul was passionate about arresting and killing Christians because, in his world view as a Pharisee, it seemed like the right thing to do. Then Jesus met him along the road, and everything changed. Paul saw the truth and, we know from his later writings, he was horrified at how wrong he’d been. When he was thinking from a strictly human point of view, he was following wrong answers to life’s most important questions.

Paul was wiser by the time he wrote to the Christians in Rome telling them not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by renewing their minds and, when they do that, they will know God’s will. They will correctly understand the answers to life’s most important questions.

We get to direct where our mind goes: To things above or things on earth? To the things of God or the things of man? If status quo is OK, we keep doing what we’re doing. If we want transformation, we have to be intentional about directing our minds into spiritual thinking.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2